What does a Dustman do?
Posted: 26 Oct 2022, 16:24
Transcribed as there was no online version.
REFUSE COLLECTORS FURY OVER WITHDRAWN TOILET BREAKS
“We were told we would have to go in our pants if we couldn’t wait…”
Refuse collectors from the London Borough of ********** have launched an angry attack on council officials and threatened strike action, after being told that they would not be able to return to their depot for toilet breaks during the first four hours of their shifts, and that they would not be permitted to ask householders for the use of their toilet facilities.
One of the refuse collectors, who asked for his name to be withheld, alleged that officials from the council had told the dustmen that if a situation arose where they couldn’t wait until they got back to the depot, they would have to ‘go in their pants’.
“It’s a disgrace. We are basically being told that we may have to wet ourselves whilst we are working. What other job would accept something like that. It’s just humiliating.”
A council official explained the situation from their perspective, “We have had refuse collectors returning to the depot for a toilet break, and bringing a whole crew back when it’s just one of them who has had an emergency toilet situation. It’s been hugely disruptive and meant that crews have either had to work beyond their contracted hours, or been unable to finish collecting household rubbish in some areas. We appreciate that, on occasions, emergency situations can arise, but in general, a shift of four hours is not unreasonable to ask staff to contain themselves.”
The official however, denied that collectors had been told to ‘go in their pants’ if they couldn’t wait, “I can categorically state that no refuse collectors have been told they would have to wet themselves if they were not able to wait for the toilet. If any one of our collectors was in a dire predicament and simply had to use a toilet, we would accept them returning to the depot, but only if it was an absolute emergency.
We don’t want our teams going into private properties to use a toilet because of the risk of carrying germs from the rubbish they have been handling. For a refuse collector to use a private toilet in a house, they would have to remove several items of clothing and we would be unhappy if that meant that a householder’s private bathroom ran the risk of contamination from dirty clothing.”
The official did admit, however, that he was aware of a couple of incidents of refuse collectors relieving themselves in discreet places when no public facilities were available.
“Soiling public areas is not acceptable, and our collectors are fully aware of that. We are working closely with our teams to ensure that they are able to carry out their duties in comfort.”
REFUSE COLLECTORS FURY OVER WITHDRAWN TOILET BREAKS
“We were told we would have to go in our pants if we couldn’t wait…”
Refuse collectors from the London Borough of ********** have launched an angry attack on council officials and threatened strike action, after being told that they would not be able to return to their depot for toilet breaks during the first four hours of their shifts, and that they would not be permitted to ask householders for the use of their toilet facilities.
One of the refuse collectors, who asked for his name to be withheld, alleged that officials from the council had told the dustmen that if a situation arose where they couldn’t wait until they got back to the depot, they would have to ‘go in their pants’.
“It’s a disgrace. We are basically being told that we may have to wet ourselves whilst we are working. What other job would accept something like that. It’s just humiliating.”
A council official explained the situation from their perspective, “We have had refuse collectors returning to the depot for a toilet break, and bringing a whole crew back when it’s just one of them who has had an emergency toilet situation. It’s been hugely disruptive and meant that crews have either had to work beyond their contracted hours, or been unable to finish collecting household rubbish in some areas. We appreciate that, on occasions, emergency situations can arise, but in general, a shift of four hours is not unreasonable to ask staff to contain themselves.”
The official however, denied that collectors had been told to ‘go in their pants’ if they couldn’t wait, “I can categorically state that no refuse collectors have been told they would have to wet themselves if they were not able to wait for the toilet. If any one of our collectors was in a dire predicament and simply had to use a toilet, we would accept them returning to the depot, but only if it was an absolute emergency.
We don’t want our teams going into private properties to use a toilet because of the risk of carrying germs from the rubbish they have been handling. For a refuse collector to use a private toilet in a house, they would have to remove several items of clothing and we would be unhappy if that meant that a householder’s private bathroom ran the risk of contamination from dirty clothing.”
The official did admit, however, that he was aware of a couple of incidents of refuse collectors relieving themselves in discreet places when no public facilities were available.
“Soiling public areas is not acceptable, and our collectors are fully aware of that. We are working closely with our teams to ensure that they are able to carry out their duties in comfort.”